Banker defrauded author

A TRUSTED Commonwealth Bank employee stole more than $70,000 from Australian author Thomas Keneally as part of a sophisticated fraud that netted almost $250,000 over a 14-month period.

Karen Myhang Chau, 39, was in regular contact with Thomas and Judith Keneally in her role as the banker in charge of their account, visiting their home at least every six months for several years. But this year they learnt she had been transferring tens of thousands of dollars from their savings into her own ANZ account and covering her tracks through fake interest payments.

Court documents reveal that Chau had access to a so-called ''smartcard'' that, along with a bank-issued user name and password, gave her access to customers' accounts and the ability to edit them. She used this information to make 72 unauthorised automated funds transfers. She then credited her personal ANZ account with $247,614.

She was eventually caught out by Commonwealth Bank investigators on January 10, at which point she admitted her crimes.